Misunderstandings
by Bookkbaby
Summary: BxR YAOI Bakura leaves Ryou after one night together, and both are broken hearted about it. Will they stay together, when they have so many misunderstandings about what happened that night?
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Okay- this has a bit of mature content, but I cut the lemon out of this chapter. I know most of you won't be reading this author's note, but I do have the full version of this chapter on media miner . org (remove spaces) under the penname 'bookkbaby84' (try capitalizing the name if it doesn't work). It's also under the same name.

Ryou took a deep breath, releasing it slowly to help calm himself down.

It wasn't really helping- and that was to be expected, given his current situation.

He had woken up a few minutes ago and his sleep-fogged mind hadn't processed what was going on, though he could tell something was wrong. He shortly found out what.

He couldn't move- his arms and legs were restrained, but not like a kidnapper would restrain him. His wrists were tied together, and then tied above his head to something hard and wooden. Judging from the soft mattress and sheets below him, he was tied to the headboard of a bed.

His bed, if he wasn't mistaken.

His legs were spread, and (if his theory about it being a bed underneath him was correct) tied to opposite ends of the endboard. It wasn't the most comfortable of positions, as it left him feeling rather open, but Ryou couldn't do anything about it.

The ties weren't even the worst of it. Ryou couldn't see anything either. Soft material covered his eyes, rendering him blind. He had absolutely no way of knowing if anyone else was in the room with him, and that fact scared him.

He couldn't even call for help- he could taste cloth in his mouth, and he had tried several times to spit it out. The gag had remained in place.

The final and most frightening fact about his situation is what had him nearly panicking.

It had taken him several moments to realize why the room felt cooler than usual- it wasn't just because he was no longer under his blankets. It was because he was no longer under anything at all. His blue cotton pajamas had disappeared from his body, leaving him bare as a newborn babe.

He was blind, mute, immobile in an exposed position, lying on a bed, and naked. If that wasn't license to panic, nothing was.

Ryou- trying to think rationally and hopefully find a way out of his predicament- tested the bonds holding his hands and feet. They seemed to be made out of some sort of strong cloth- and tied very well. To get free, the ties would either have to be untied or ripped and Ryou knew he didn't have the strength to rip the cloth and free himself.

Ryou froze at the sudden sound of the door opening. It seemed unnaturally loud in the quiet room.

The white-haired teen quickly tried to fake sleep, hoping the person who he could hear coming towards him wouldn't know the difference.

"I know you're awake, yadonushi." the person said, their footsteps soft on the carpeted floor.

'Bakura?' Ryou thought, relief flooding through him. He relaxed his body, no longer feigning sleep. As much as his yami seemed to hate him, Ryou knew that Bakura hated having someone mess with whatever the Thief King considered 'his' more. Bakura would untie him and then berate him for being so weak, but Ryou could handle that.

'I won't lie and say it doesn't hurt to know he hates me and thinks me weak.' Ryou thought, feeling someone- his dark- sit on the edge of the bed. Mentally, the pale teen shook himself.

It did him no good to harbor feelings for his yami- they would never be returned.

"I wouldn't be too relieved, hikari." Bakura said, and Ryou could actually hear the smirk in his dark's voice.

'What could he mean by that...?' Ryou wondered. A soft 'clunk' informed him that Bakura had just put something down on the nightstand. His confusion multiplied.

Bakura? he tried asking, using their mindlink.

It was blocked.

Bakura?! Ryou tried again, a sinking feeling in his stomach. With no link and that gag, as well as his arms and legs immobilized, he couldn't communicate with his other half at all.

"Why would I set you free..." Ryou nearly jumped when he felt a slender finger run down the center of his chest, from his sternum to navel. "... when I'm the one who tied you in the first place?"

'What?' Ryou's eyes widened in shock. Bakura must have caught the small motion of the cloth covering his hikari's eyes.

"It's not that surprising, but enough talk. Let's move along, shall we?" Ryou could feel the taller's weight shifting and he could feel it as the heat of Bakura's body settled over him, legs straddling his thighs.

- Edited due to lemon content. The full version of this chapter can be read on Media miner . org (remove spaces) under same story title, or penname 'bookkbaby84' (capitalize name if it doesn't work).-

"Mine..." Bakura said one last time, kissing the teens jaw lightly. Ryou felt his darks weight shift, rolling off of him, but he was too tired to care.

His eyes shut slowly, unable to stay open. Vaguely, he felt his hands come free and then his legs. His gag was removed and then his blindfold.

Ryou curled up underneath a blanket he felt placed over him, then reached out for the other warm body he felt close by.

'Bakura...' he thought sleepily, blurry eyes barely making out the white blur that was his dark.

"Sleep Ryou." Bakura commanded softly. Ryou's eyes shut and his hand dropped. He fought to stay awake, but was already halfway to dreamland.

The last thing he remembered before passing out was a soft pressure on his lips and two quiet words.

"Goodbye Ryou."

Bakura

Bakura closed the door behind him with a soft 'click'. He looked over his shoulder one last time before he walked to his room- the one Ryou had been kind enough to give him- and entered. He didn't bother washing up, just slid on some clothes and grabbed a small bag he had packed earlier that night. Inside of it were a few things that he treasured most.

The Millennium Ring was one. His Deck was another, along with a few other items he figured he might need.

Thus ready, he made his way down to the kitchen- and the front door. He would have left right then and there, but something stopped him.

His reflection stared at him mockingly from a large mirror Ryou had put in the closet.

His reflection that looked so much like Ryou.

Sweet, innocent Ryou.

He snarled at it, turning around and stomping through the kitchen. He set his bag down and drew a kitchen knife, drawing three quick and angry lines across his cheek- two horizontal and one long vertical line down the entire length of his face.

Next, he grabbed his hair at the base of his neck and hacked it off. It fell to the tiled floor in bunches.

He turned back to the mirror, staring as the cuts across his face healed into scars as he drew on the magic of the Ring he carried.

Ryou no longer stared at him from the mirror. His reflection was his own this time.

He dropped his knife and grabbed his bag.

He left, pointedly not looking in the mirror a second time.

At the street corner, he paused.

Bakura glanced back at the house he had lived in one last time, staring for a long moment at where Ryou's room would be.

Eyes hardening, Bakura turned away and continued on, hand absently going to the piece of paper in his pocket.

It was a ticket given to him by an old friend.

Time Skip- To Ryou

Ryou awoke slowly the next day, needing to blink several times before the room came into focus.

'Was that a dream?' Ryou wondered, sitting up. He winced, lying back down immediately.

After a few minutes, he slowly sat himself up and shifted until he wasn't putting an unbearable amount of pressure on his backside. He looked around.

'Where's Bakura? And why did he...?' Ryou thought, biting his lip as the events of last night began flashing through his mind.

He couldn't say it was exactly how he had planned on losing his virginity, but at least he had lost it to who he had wanted to.

'Where is he?' Ryou wondered, standing up gingerly. He shivered as the cool air touched his skin and grabbed his sheet, wrapping it around himself. He began making his way to the door.

"Bakura?" he called, brow furrowing in concern when his yami didn't answer. He exited his room, making his way carefully to Bakura's room down the hall.

"Bakura?" he called again. No one answered. When he opened the door, no one was there.

As he closed the door, he noticed something that unnerved him- the Ring was missing, along with Bakura's Deck.

A cold feeling settled in the pit of his stomach. He took the stairs down to the main floor as quickly and carefully as he could.

"Bakura?" he called, as loud as he could.

No answer.

Ryou hung onto the doorframe of the kitchen door, hoping against hope Bakura was in the kitchen and had simply decided not to respond.

No such luck.

Something shiny on the floor caught his eyes. He fell to his knees upon realization of what it was.

Beautiful silver hair- rougher and lighter than Ryou's own- littered the floor. Lying on top of the hair was a knife, the edge bloody. Small drops of dried blood completed the scene.

Ryou's eyes followed the small drops to the front door.

'He's gone...' Ryou's eyes began to water, and he collapsed the rest of the way. He curled up into a ball, wrapping the sheet more tightly around him as he cried.

'"Goodbye Ryou."' Bakura's last words to him echoed in his mind.

"Goodbye Bakura." Ryou whispered, the words seeming too loud and too final in the silent house.

Time Skip

"Where's Ryou?" Yugi whispered to Yami, concerned. The final bell had just rung- and Ryou had never been late to school before. The teacher began calling roll, marking Ryou absent with a sigh when she came to 'Bakura, Ryou' in her list.

Yami shook his head, a look of concern on his face.

"I don't know, Yugi, but I'm sure he's fine."

"But he's never been late before." Yugi said. "Maybe he's sick?"

"That could be. We can go visit him after school if he doesn't show up." Yami said.

"Yeah! Anzu can make some of her chicken noodle soup she gave me when I was sick!" Yugi exclaimed excitedly, then looked sadly over at Ryou's empty desk. "Poor Ryou-"

A noise at the front of the classroom interrupted what Yugi had been about to say. When he turned to look, his mouth dropped open.

"Sorry to be late, sensei." Ryou said dully, bowing politely to the teacher. "I overslept." It was a bald-faced lie, but no one called him on it. The teacher just nodded, though she looked very concerned.

"Bakura-kun, that's your first tardy. I won't count it against you, but don't make it a habit. Please take your seat." Ryou nodded, though he seemed stiff. He turned and walked slowly towards his seat, lowering himself softly onto the hard plastic.

'Ryou?' Yugi thought in shock, eyes dumbly following his white-haired friend. Certainly, the person looked like Ryou, but Ryou had always taken care of himself. This teenager in front of him looked half-dead, with dark circles under his eyes- which were also suspiciously red and puffy, as if he had spent a night crying. His clothes were rumpled, as if he hadn't changed clothes since yesterday. His hair seemed to be a tangled mess, the fine strands sticking up in random directions. It looked like it hadn't seen a brush in at least two days.

And his eyes- usually bright and full of life- seemed hollow and filled with an almost unspeakable sadness. His entire posture- usually so straight and tall- seemed defeated. The kind smile usually gracing his face was nowhere to be seen.

What's wrong with him? Yugi asked Yami through their link.

I don't know. We'll have to speak with him at lunch. Yami said. Yugi could feel his dark's concern.

With one last look at Ryou, he closed the link and focused on the lesson, taking out a notebook and a pencil.

'Hopefully Yami and I will be able to do something about whatever made Ryou so sad.'

When the bell finally rang for lunch, Ryou was the first person out the door.

It took Yugi and the rest of the gang a good fifteen minutes before they found him.

He was leaning against the fence on the top of the school building when they found him, facing away from the steps they had run up.

"Ryou? What's up, man?" Jounouchi asked, walking up to the other. Ryou glanced over his shoulder at them- fresh tear tracks could be seen on his cheeks.

He hurriedly wiped his face with his uniform sleeve and tried to force a smile.

"Oh- I didn't see you there. I'm fine. Really." Ryou's voice trailed off at the end, and the pained smile shattered.

"What happened?" Anzu asked, moving ahead of Jounouchi and placing a comforting hand on Ryou's shoulder. "It might help to talk about it."

"Did the tomb robber do this?" Yami asked. Ryou's tears began flowing faster, and his breathing became more audible.

"What did he do?" Yugi asked, genuine concern in his voice.

"We'll give him what-for!" Jounouchi declared, throwing punches to an imaginary target. "No one messes with our friend!"

"H-He's... gone." Ryou said, as if he hadn't heard Jounouchi. "He left..."

"Well, good riddance then!" Jounouchi said. "Never liked him anyway."

Everyone else could tell that had been the wrong thing to say.

Ryou- soft, gentle Ryou- glared at Jounouchi, a glare cold enough to rival his yami.

He shook of Anzu's hand and walked right past Yami, Yugi, and Honda. He didn't even look at Jounouchi as he passed.

His shoulders shook visibly and he was crying again by the time he began descending the steps.

"Nice going, Jounouchi." Honda said flatly.

"What? What'd I say?" Jounouchi demanded, looking back and forth between his four friends.

"Jounouchi, you should learn the art of 'tact' one of these days. Or grow another few brain cells." Anzu said.

Yugi listened half-heartedly as Jounouchi defended himself against Honda and Anzu, but his eyes remained where he had seen Ryou disappear down the stairs.

"Ryou..." he said quietly, concern written plainly across his face.

It wasn't a big surprise to them when the white-haired teen didn't show up for afternoon classes.

A/n: So- what do we think so far? I hope we all like it- not too OOC, right? 


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Umm... I think some people are reading this but I'm not too sure. Hello? Anyone out there? (Please review people! It lets me know how bad this is and what I'm doing wrong! I worry when I get no reviews)  
Geez- forgot the disclaimer! I don't own- don't sue!

Ryou collapsed onto Bakura's bed, tired.

It had been a month.

One month of little food and less sleep- he had become alarmingly thin. He had passed the point of 'frail' and was now 'fragile', sometimes passing out in class from exhaustion or lack of nutrition.

One month of spacing out in class and not completing his assigned work. His grades had taken a nosedive- every teacher he had had pulled him aside to speak with him about it, but he remained silent about the reason he was so depressed.

His friends had tried to talk to him, but he didn't speak with them much anymore- he hardly spoke to anyone.

He rarely bothered to brush his hair and oftentimes he just slept in his school uniform and wore it for days until it became too gross to wear. He usually just collapsed into Bakura's bed the moment he got home, just thinking.

He had yet to come up with any answers.

Or rather, the answers he came up with lead to more questions.

By now, there was no doubt in his mind Bakura had left for good. He wouldn't return by himself.

'But why did he leave in the first place?'

Was it because Bakura had gotten bored with living in Japan? Did he return to Egypt, or was he traveling the world?  
Did he leave because he could no longer stand Ryou?

His mind had constructed elaborate fantasies in which Bakura had only left temporarily and was being held hostage somewhere, but he would soon break free and come home.

Then Ryou would remember the 'Goodbye', and how final his yami had made it sound as he whispered it into his ear. The fact that Bakura's things were missing... all evidence pointed to his dark leaving him willingly.

Bakura must have left on purpose- which brought him back to 'why?'.

'Why did he sleep with me that night?'

Was it because the tomb robber cared for Ryou and wanted a night with him before he left? But if he loved his hikari, then why did he leave at all? Why did he tie his light up, and make him blind and mute for their lovemaking?

Did the thief just want to steal the last thing Ryou had left before he went away- his innocence?

Did Bakura just want a quick fuck? But then, why him, and why then? Why not buy a whore with some stolen money once he got... wherever he had gone?

But... if it had not mattered whether or not it was the hikari, why did Bakura say 'mine'? Why did the tomb robber say he had 'wanted this for a long time'? Why was it Ryou's name he had called out when he came?  
Why did he say 'please'?

After a month of pondering, Ryou was still no closer to any answers, but he was more and more inclined to believe the worst of himself- maybe his yami really hated him.

His self-esteem was drifting down and down in slow spirals. Bakura's blood-colored eyes haunted his thoughts.

Ryou clutched a small pillow he had worked up the energy to make- the last thing he had put any effort towards- and inhaled the scent.

He couldn't bear throwing away Bakura's hair, and had so made a pillow from it. That, along with Bakura's room, the sheets still smelling faintly of their owner, was one of his few comforts.

Even though it tore him apart inside, it was better than nothing.

Bakura

Bakura stared up into the bright Egyptian sky, allowing the sun to wash over his chest.

Malik and Mariku had been delighted to take him in- Malik had told him that he could come and stay with them anytime. Bakura had held onto the airplane ticket for Cairo, though he had never thought he'd use it.

It had been a month.

He had tried to not count the days, but he kept track of them.

A month didn't seem like a long time- especially not to one who was technically three millennia old- but each minute seemed like a day, and each day seemed like a year.

The memories would not leave him alone, no matter how much he had drunk.

They wouldn't leave him alone when he tried to entertain himself with others in his bed.

They wouldn't leave him alone no matter how fast he rode the horse Malik had given him.

He had given up trying- and Malik and Mariku knew better than to ask. The first time they had tried...

Well, at least the kitchen hadn't been too expensive to replace, and the kitchen staff had gone home.

Bakura had tried to forget- he tried riding his horse over land he remembered from ancient Egypt- he had even rediscovered several small caves he had used as hideouts when he had been the Thief King. Since much of his time was spent outside, his skin had darkened to the shade it had once been. He no longer looked anything like Ryou unless you looked very, very closely and squinted.

He hadn't had much of an appetite either since leaving his light- his sweet, innocent light...

His favorite foods all reminded him of what he was trying to forget- he usually knocked the offending food to the floor.  
It would never taste as good as when Ryou had made it.

Bakura didn't know how he could even allow himself to think Ryou's name. The things he had done...

What he had done!

Tying up Ryou's arms so the other wouldn't push him away.

Tying his legs to the endboard so his hikari couldn't kick him.

Blindfolding his light so he couldn't see the fear and anger in those gorgeous chocolate eyes.

Gagging him- Ryou couldn't say no when he couldn't talk. He couldn't tell Bakura exactly how horrible he was, and he couldn't scream for help if he couldn't speak at all.

Bakura had even closed off their mental link so Ryou couldn't ask him to stop mentally. He had made sure his other could not communicate with him at all- no refusal was the same as permission, right?

Right?

And then...

Forcing his light to say 'yes' by making him mad with pleasure. Bakura knew perfectly well that Ryou had barely known his own name when the tomb robber had said 'please'. That vague nod had been enough 'permission' for him and he had destroyed his lights last innocence.

Ryou had every reason to hate him, but Bakura couldn't leave without tasting him. Ryou was too sweet, too gorgeous, too gentle for Bakura to possibly leave without having him.

What the Thief King wanted, he took.

He couldn't have stayed either.

He could not have stood to watch Ryou fall in love and have to pick up the pieces when the innocent one suffered his first break-up, then watch as his aibou fell in love again.

He could not do it. He was not noble enough to wish for Ryou's happiness without him, and he had left so he would not witness his light's happiness.

'Ryou...' Bakura thought, listening to the sound of the wind as it blew across the dunes.

Ryou

The doorbell brought Ryou out of his trancelike state. Robotically, he got out of the bed.

The doorbell rang again.

'So they're not giving up.' he thought tiredly, dragging his feet to the door.

"I'm coming, I'm coming." he mumbled, unlocking the door and opening it. To his surprise, Yugi, Yami, and Kaiba stood on the other side.

"What are you three doing here?" he blurted out.

"May we come in?" Yugi asked gently. Ryou nodded automatically, just wanting to get rid of them quickly so he could go back to moping in Bakura's room. Yugi shot a worried look to Yami and Kaiba he probably thought Ryou missed. Sighing, the white-haired teen stepped aside to allow his three friends through.

"Nice place." Kaiba said sarcastically, eyeing the three days old pile of dishes in the sink. Yami elbowed the tall teenager in the side, shooting him a look.

"I wasn't expecting company. What brings you three here?" Ryou asked. Yami looked back at his friend.

"We're here to talk to you about what happened a month ago. We're very worried." he said.

"It's not your problem." Ryou said, looking away from the other three as he lead them to the living room. He took a chair for himself and motioned for the others to sit. They did, Kaiba and Yugi sitting on either side of Yami on the large couch across from Ryou.

"We know it has something to do with Bakura." Yugi said gently. "You haven't told anyone what happened though- and we want to help you."

Ryou shook his head.

"That's kind of you and all-" he started. "-but I don't-"

"We found out where he is. If you want, we can send you to talk to him." Yami interrupted.

"-want- What?" Ryou asked, voice cracking slightly.

"We know where he is. Kaiba's agreed to lend you one of his jets so you can talk to him." Kaiba nodded at this, looking disinterested.

Ryou looked from one of them to another, confused.

"You found him? Where did he go?" he asked.

"Egypt. He's been staying with Malik and Mariku." Yugi said softly. "They're at the Ishtar Estate."

Ryou couldn't help it. Tears began rolling down his face. He looked down, allowing the tears to fall into his lap.

'They found him...'

"Ryou?" Yami asked, concern heavy in his voice.

The white-haired teen smiled slightly, pain still obvious behind him small smile.

"I-I'd like to go. Please, I want to see him again... even if only for a little while." He looked up at his friends. "When do I leave?"

"Now." Kaiba said. "I already have a pilot and a jet standing by. Grab your things and we can go."

"I don't need anything." Ryou said quickly, standing. The other three followed suit.

"Then let's go." Yami said, leading the way back out of Ryou's house to the limo that waited for them.

Bakura

Bakura slammed the door to the Ishtar Estate. The memories had haunted him worse than usual- as though warning him he was about to have a run-in with his not-so-distant past. He stomped into the kitchen, stomach reminding him he hadn't eaten since this morning- about twelve hours, since he had woken up at dawn.

"My, someone's happy today." Mariku said, a grin on his face. He laughed.

"Shut up." Bakura growled.

"We were worried we may have to send out a search party for you." Isis said seriously. "I was listening to the weather report and it will be very, very cold tonight- dangerous for someone by himself. A sandstorm has also been building. They say it will not hit us, but I have a bad feeling about it."

"Thanks for the tip." Bakura muttered, digging through the cabinets and eventually settling on a box of Club Original Crackers. He opened the box and popped a few in his mouth.

"Later." he said, mouth full of crackers. He brushed past Malik- who was just entering the kitchen- and headed for his room on the second floor. "I'll be down for dinner."

"He seems in a fine mood today." Malik said, watching Bakura trudge away. He brushed a few crumbs off his shirt- Bakura was never the neatest eater, and everyone within a one-foot radius of him while he was eating anything seemed to get splattered with small specks of food.

"Something will happen later today. I just know it." Isis said mysteriously, touching her neck when the Millennium Necklace used to hang.

"What's that?" Mariku asked, seeming slightly interested.

"I do not know."

Ryou

Ryou swallowed nervously as he walked up to the door of the Ishtar Estate. Behind him, he heard the limo pull away, taking Yami, Yugi, and Kaiba with it.

He was by himself.

It had been a whole month since he had seen Bakura.

'Has he already moved on?' Ryou wondered, biting his lower lip. He wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans, took a deep breath, and rang the doorbell.

"Just a moment!" He instantly recognized Malik's voice, even though it was muffled by the door. A few seconds ticked by, and then the door was open.

"Ryou!" Malik said in surprise. "What brings you here?"

"I heard Bakura was here." the smaller teen said. Malik's welcoming smile fell a bit, though he looked more apologetic than anything else.

"He doesn't talk much." A devious glint suddenly entered the Egyptian's eye- which would have tipped Ryou off, if he had noticed.

"But I think he'll talk to you. Come on in."

The white-haired teen smiled gratefully at the blonde and followed Malik inside.

"Thank you- it's rather hot outside." he said, wiping sweat from his brow. The Egyptian looked over Ryou's outfit and frowned.

"Pants and a long-sleeve shirt? Did you want to get heatstroke?"

"No... I was just in a bit of a hurry." Ryou admitted.

"It's too hot to wear those- come on, I'll lend you some of mine." Ryou followed Malik to his room, where the blonde hurriedly rummaged through his closet and eventually came out with...

... a white cotton dress?

"Here- put it on." Malik tossed it at Ryou, who caught it and looked over it puzzledly.

"A dress?"

"No- it's a kalasiris." Malik said, in way of an explanation. (A/N: Think what Malik wore when he was younger.) "I'll be outside the door. Come out when you're ready." With that, the Egyptian left Ryou to get changed.

Taking one last dubious look at the garment in his hands, Ryou sighed and began changing clothes.

A/N: If no one reviews, I'm going to assume no one is reading the clean version on this site and will just post on mediaminer. Just to let everyone know... (No use posting two when no one is reading one of the versions- takes too much time and energy and I hate wasted effort) 


	3. Chapter 3

This chapter is dedicated to sglily on mediaminer dot org! sglily's review made me so happy- I hope sglily enjoys this chapter too!  
Kudos to everyone here on fanfiction dot net too! I love you all!

Chapter 3

Ryou sat on the cold wooden seat, hands nervously picking at the cloth of his kalasiris.

Malik had taken him here and then had told him to sit down and make himself comfortable while Malik went to get Bakura.

After a whole month, was Ryou really ready to face him?

The door to the room opened, and the decision was taken from him.

There, standing in the doorway, was his yami. Ryou knew him instantly, even though his appearance had changed so much. That scar hadn't been there before, and his hair had been longer. He hadn't been so tan- and his skin was shown off nicely by his choice of dress: a simple pair of white cotton pants.

"Bakura!" Ryou exclaimed, standing up. He took a few hesitant steps towards his dark when the other's voice stopped him cold.

"What the hell are you doing here?" His face fell at the cold tone Bakura had used.

"I... I'm just here to- I wanted to talk-"

"Did Malik force you to come here? That blonde bastard..." The yami muttered the last part to himself, turning angrily to go give said blonde a piece of his mind.

"Wait! Bakura-" Ryou said, taking a few more steps forward and reaching out for his dark. His yami just glared at him over his shoulder.

"Get out. I don't want to see you again, got it?" Bakura stomped off, without so much as another backward glance.  
Ryou's hand lowered slowly.

'What just happened?' he asked himself silently. His eyes began watering again.

"Bakura... you jerk. I-I hate you..." Ryou mumbled. He stumbled towards the door, and started running as soon as he was clear of it. He couldn't see through his tears, and nearly ran into three people on his way out the door.

He threw the door open and ran outside, just wanting to get as far away from the Ishtar Estate as possible. He didn't know or care which way the town was- he just picked a direction and ran as fast as he could, pushing his already fragile body to the limit, and then past.

He didn't know how long he ran for- all he cared about was that he could no longer see even the light from the Ishtar Estate.

There, miles away from any human help, he collapsed.

The last thing he saw before his eyes shut was the setting sun.

Bakura

"Malik!" Bakura roared, bursting through the door of the study Malik enjoyed spending time in.

Malik looked up from his book, surprised.

"Finished talking to him already? How'd it go?"

"You damn BASTARD! Why the hell did you bring him here?" Bakura demanded, folding his arms over his bare chest and glaring at Malik.

The blonde seemed at a loss for words for a moment, then put his book down and returned Bakura's stare.

"First of all- he came here on his own. I didn't even know he was going to show up until he knocked on the door. Now- what happened?"

"He left." Bakura said shortly, turning away from Malik stiffly.

"What did you do, Bakura?" the blonde demanded, stepping forward and grabbing one of Bakura's wrists. The tomb robber whirled around and broke the hold.

"I told him I never wanted to see him again." Bakura hissed. "Stop meddling in my affairs, Malik." He left. Malik watched him go, a look of extreme confusion on his face.

'Why didn't he want to see Ryou again? I know he's been pining over him for at least a month!'

It hadn't been obvious right away, but the Egyptian was quite the sleuth when he was curious. It had taken him about a week to figure out the generalities of why Bakura had suddenly decided to drop in.

It was something to do with Ryou- most likely, a big fight or falling out. But now...

Well, the reason Bakura left still had to be something with Ryou, but now it was a lot less clear what had gone on.

Minor Time Skip

Bakura slammed the door to his room shut, sealing it closed with Shadow Magic.

He just wanted to be alone.

Ryou's reappearance had stirred up his memories again, on a day they had already haunted him too much.

His light had seemed happy to see him, but there were too many hidden emotions in those eyes.

Bakura knew perfectly well what kind of person his hikari was- too forgiving, too soft, and too kind. Ryou cared at least a little for his dark, and so would forgive him and ask him to come back.

Bakura could not go back.

If he had to see Ryou every day and be haunted by the memories of the first time... to know what it was like to taste Ryou's skin...

He wouldn't be able to stop himself, and he would tarnish his angel again.

His jealousy would be immeasurable if his precious light ever fell in love- and in his rage he could kill the one Ryou loved, or even his hikari for the betrayal of loving another. That could not happen.

What he had to do was forget Ryou- once he did, he'd be free of what was widely known as 'the softer emotions' and that damn guilt.

All he had to do was forget...

... and force himself to stop holding on to the small, sweet memories that even now brought a smile to his face.

Ryou, making peanut butter cookies for school and taking 'small' bites of the batter because it was his favorite.

Ryou, a cute look of concentration on his face as he struggled over difficult math problems.

That soft smile Ryou got when he leaned over to pet a dog on the street.

Ryou...

That vague nod when Bakura had said 'please'.

Bakura groaned, exasperated, and pulled a pillow over his head as through trying to block out the memories.

How Ryou had tasted in his mouth...

How Ryou had felt under his hands...

How Ryou had felt around him as he had joined their bodies...

'Leave me alone!' he mentally screamed at the memories, but they continued to swirl in his mind, circling and circling.

Group

It had been completely dark outside for a good hour or two by the time the knock came on the front door.

Isis had answered it, being closest at the time.

"My Pharaoh." she said, nodding her head respectfully. "What brings you here, my king?"

"We just came to pick up Ryou." Yami said, gesturing behind him to indicate Yugi, as well as the black stretch limo containing Kaiba.

Isis' face fell.

"Malik told me that Ryou visited earlier, but he's not here. He left hours ago- did he not return to you?"

"He's gone?" Yugi asked. He suddenly shivered, a cool breeze chilling him.

Isis quickly ushered them inside.

"It's supposed to be very cold tonight." Isis said, closing the door behind them.

"Yes, and the sandstorm they predicted will not hit, will. It'll apparently go out to the desert after passing us by. Kaiba wants to get back to Japan tonight, so we must leave before the sandstorm hits." Yami said.

"We need to find Ryou first." Yugi bit his lip and looked back at the door. "You guys don't suppose Ryou's outside? He doesn't know anyone else in Egypt and he didn't come back to us..."

"If Ryou is indeed out in these conditions, we must find him quickly aibou." Yami said quietly.

Silence fell over the three friends, broken by the arrival of a fourth.

"Pharaoh, Yugi! What brings you two here?" Malik asked, walking up to the three standing by the door.

"My brother," Isis said, a worried look on her face. "Ryou is missing. He did not return to the Pharaoh and Yugi after he left us."

"We were just about to leave so we came to pick him up. We had no idea he wasn't here." Yugi explained.

"His chances do not look good if he's outside and unprotected from the elements." Yami added quietly, throwing an apologetic look at the other three. They may not like it, but the fact remained and it needed to be taken into consideration.

"Rishid and I can go looking for him. Mariku will help as well." Malik said, thinking. "If we take horses, we may be able to find him before the storm hits."

"No, Malik. It's too dangerous." Isis said immediately. She was seconded by Yami and Yugi.

"We can't risk all of you." Yugi added.

"Then what do you propose we do?" Malik demanded of them. "Ryou is going to die if we don't find him soon, and we're standing here saying we can't-"

"What?" Another voice broke into their conversation, tone disbelieving.

All four turned their heads to face the newcomer.

Bakura stood on the steps not too far away from them, looking none too happy with what he had just overheard.

"Ryou is missing, and we have to find him. Do you know where he might be, Bakura?" Yugi asked before anyone could stop him.  
Bakura's face contorted into a mask of rage.

"That idiot!" he yelled, turning on his heel and running back up the stairs. Distantly, they heard a door slam.

"Well, that was productive." Malik muttered.

Bakura

Bakura flew threw his room, quickly grabbing a large blanket and a red cloak. He wrapped himself in the cloak and folded the blanket before tying it securely around his torso so he would have some kind of cover for Ryou once he found the little white-haired idiot.

He slipped the Millennium Ring over his head, knowing the Item's usefulness in tracking things- or people- down.

Without a second thought, he opened his window and jumped down, falling the two stories without flinching- he had fallen a lot farther in his days as the Thief King.

His knees bent, absorbing the impact and he rolled with his fall before quickly picking himself up and running to the horse stables.

Some of the horses shied away from him when he burst through the door, but his horse was used to it and didn't even look up from her food.

She wasn't saddled and ready, but Bakura knew how to ride bareback and didn't bother with the saddle and bridle.

"Come on girl." he said, opening up her gate. She came obediently, and Bakura lead her out of the stables before slinging himself up onto her back and digging his heels into her side.

"Let's go!" he shouted as his horse spurred to action. She ran around the side of the house, making it to the front in record time. He quickly directed her through the front gate and they were gone.

Group

Malik had opened his mouth to speak when the sound of hooves on sand drew their attention.

Isis was the first to figure it out and threw the front door open, just in time to see a familiar head of silver hair disappear into the darkness.

"He's going to find Ryou by himself..." she said, almost as if she didn't believe it herself.

"What?" the other three exclaimed. Isis closed the door.

"Best of luck, Bakura."

Bakura

Bakura lifted the Ring with one hand, following the spikes as they directed him to his hikari. It had already been a half-hour since he had left.

The air outside had cooled off substantially since Ryou had left the Ishtar Estate- Bakura didn't even want to think of how cold his hikari was.

"Ryou!" he yelled, hoping his light was awake to answer him.

The only sound he heard was the wind as it picked up speed. Something white suddenly caught his eye, over to his right.

"Stop!" he commanded the horse, pulling back on her mane. She stopped quickly, and Bakura slid off, running over to the white figure partially covered with sand.

Ryou had curled into a ball to try and preserve heat, but he was shivering quite a bit.

"Damnit, Ryou..." Bakura muttered, scooping his light into his arms. The smaller instinctively curled closer to him, trying to leech off of his yami's warmth.

"Hn." Bakura stared down at the angel he was cradling for a moment, then turned his focus back the way he had come.

Sand was swirling dangerously back that way- the real storm was going to hit soon. He didn't have time to make it back to the Ishtars.

He needed to find shelter, and fast.

He called his horse over. She came, although too slowly for Bakura's liking. She had used up all her energy getting here- she would be useless until she had rested.

"Follow me." the tomb robber said. He glanced around the area again.

'Wait... don't I recognize this place?' he thought. There was an extreme feeling of familiarity...

It suddenly hit him.

A shallow cave he had rediscovered was close by- one tall enough to stand in, and with enough room to lay down. He strengthened his grip on Ryou and began walking, his horse trailing behind him obediently.

A/N: And there chapter 3 comes to a close. Only a few more to go- thank you all for reading this chapter! 


	4. Chapter 4

Bakura set Ryou down carefully on the stone floor of the cave and covered him with the blanket he had brought, then began hunting around for some of the things he had left here a week ago when he had discovered the cave.

The wood and matches were right where he had left them (this wasn't the first night he had spent in a cave since coming back to Egypt) as were his campfire stones and spare blanket. He quickly arranged the stones in a circle, but then took two out and made the circle tighter.

He took the two stones and spare blanket to the front of the cave (stepping carefully over Ryou and his horse- there was just enough space at the front for her to lie down) and stepped outside.

He carefully studied the cave entrance, then tied two corners of the blanket to the top of the entrance, and secured the bottom with stones.

'That should keep the worst of it out.' he thought, loosening the knot in the upper left corner slightly- the one farthest away from when Ryou would be. 'And that should let the smoke out.'

Satisfied, Bakura slipped behind the blanket and began working on the fire. He didn't have enough wood to last the entire night, but he knew he needed something to help Ryou warm up. The teen had been dangerously light in Bakura's arms, and didn't have a whole lot of fat to help preserve heat.

In minutes, he had a merry blaze going.

'That should keep us warm.' Finally, Bakura looked over at Ryou. He frowned when he noticed his light was still shaking.

Bakura moved closer, allowing himself to really look at the hikari.

Upon closer inspection, what he saw shocked him.

Ryou's hair- which he had always taken great pride in and great care of- was unkempt and tangled. His cheeks were slightly sunken, as though he hadn't been eating well. Black bags could be seen under his eyes, as if he didn't sleep.

'Did you really miss me?' Bakura wondered, running his fingers lightly over Ryou's cheek. Unconsciously, the smaller leaned into the warmth, involuntarily whining.

Bakura sighed, then carefully removed the Millennium Ring from around his neck. It was no longer needed, anyway. He placed it next to the wood he had taken kindling from to make the fire, knowing it would be safest there. He then turned his attention back to Ryou, and moved a corner of the blanket covering him aside. Ryou protested, but quickly settled back down when Bakura moved so that his light was lying against the tomb robber's chest, curled up in between his legs.

Bakura moved the blanket so that it covered them better, wrapping his arms around his angel so the shivering teen was more fully wrapped in heat.

After a few minutes, the shivering began to subside. Ryou cuddled closer to his dark, sighing in contentment.

'Mine.' Bakura thought, pressing a soft kiss to the top of the light's head. 'Just for this one last night. Just let me hold you for the rest of tonight.'

For the first time in a month, Bakura willingly closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Some Time Later

Ryou slowly came back to consciousness.

'What happened? I remember being cold...' he thought, blinking his eyes open sleepily. He wasn't cold anymore- in fact, he didn't think he'd ever been so warm and comfortable.

He wanted to close his eyes and fall back asleep, he was so comfortable... it might be because of his pillow, the comforting sound of a heartbeat and the soft sighs of someone's breath as their chest moved.

Wait a minute.

Ryou cautiously glanced up to see whose chest he was laying against.

"Bakura?" he said in shock. There was no doubt- it was Bakura who had him wrapped so securely in his arms, Bakura who was holding him safe and warm.

'Is this a dream?' he asked himself, laying his head back down against his dark's chest. 'I don't want to wake up if it is.'

Bakura suddenly shifted underneath him. He tensed, expecting the yami to release his hold, but the tomb robber just pulled the white-haired teen closer in his sleep.

Ryou smiled, relaxing into those arms.

He watched the fire and allowed the sound of his yami's breath to lull him into a trancelike state, wanting to savor this closeness as long as he could before he inevitably woke up and this dream ended.

Some Time Later

Bakura's eyes fluttered open. He wasn't entirely sure what had awoken him, but he didn't really care.

He tightened his hold on Ryou, sure the teen was still asleep.

"Mine." he said quietly, though it sounded loud in the small, quiet cave.

Ryou's breathing- which previously had been deep and even, as though he was asleep- caught. Too late, Bakura realized that his light was awake.

He quickly pulled away from Ryou, scrambling as far away from his hikari as he could- which wasn't more than ten feet, since the cave was so small.

"Bakura?" Ryou said questioningly, looking at the other with a look of disbelief on his face. "Did you just..." His voice trailed off, the cave filled only by the sound of the wind howling outside.

"I didn't say anything." Bakura denied, shrugging off his cloak and laying down. He pulled his cloak over him like a blanket.

"Go back to sleep- we leave at dawn, got it?"

Ryou didn't answer. Bakura looked over his shoulder to see Ryou moving towards him. The small teen paused, then slid off the blanket and offered it to the yami.

"You'll be cold with just that cloak." Ryou said hesitantly. Bakura snarled.

"I'm not the damn idiot that nearly got his Ra-damned ass frozen. I'll be fine."

"Bakura..." Ryou said, biting his lip and gathering his courage for what he was going to say next.

"What?" Bakura snapped, looking away from his hikari.

"We need to talk. About... what happened before you left." The darker of the two froze. He did not want to see Ryou at that moment; he didn't want to know what the pale teen thought of when he thought of that night...

"Bakura?" Ryou reached out a hand, laying it gently on his dark's shoulder.

At the feel of those soft hands, Bakura forced himself into action.

He sat up; one hand grabbing his lights and removing it from his shoulder while the other shoved Ryou away. The pale teen gave a small cry as he fell backwards, not expecting his dark's sudden move.

"There's nothing to talk about!" Bakura snarled. "Just drop it. This subject is closed."

"No it's not." Ryou said quietly. "It's not." he repeated, louder.

"Yes it is. Go back to sleep." Bakura said, preparing to lay back down.

"Did it... it didn't mean anything to you?" the white-haired teen said quietly- so quietly his yami thought his mind was playing tricks on him, but then he heard Ryou's breath shudder. It seemed like his hikari was holding back tears.

He wasn't sure what to do, and so stayed silent.

"I-I just wanted to know why." Ryou continued. Bakura remained silent, and it took the teen a few minutes to speak again.  
"Do you really hate me so much?"

Bakura's face contorted into a grimace of pain, though it went unseen by the hikari as the tomb robber had his back to him.

'I knew it. He would never guess why I did what I did.'

"Why won't you tell me? Please, Bakura... I just want to know. I'll leave you alone- but please." Ryou said softly. "Please tell me?"

"It's none of you business anymore. It doesn't matter."

"It matters to me." the teen replied. It was completely silent in the cave; save for the howl of the wind, then Ryou sighed and spoke again.

"Thank you for saving me, Bakura. Goodbye." Ryou stood, then turned and began walking shakily to the blanket-covered entrance to the cave.

"What do you think you're doing?!" Bakura demanded, getting back up.

"I'm leaving. I'll find my way back to Yugi and the others and you won't have to see me again." Ryou made as if to slip out of the covered entrance, but Bakura stepped forward and grabbed his arm roughly.

"You are not dressed for the kind of weather out there. Sorry, but you're trapped with me until the storm blows over." the tomb robber said, furious with his light for even thinking about going out again in this kind of weather.

"Let go of me." Ryou said, bangs shadowing his eyes. "I'm not trapped here. I can leave anytime I want- now please, just let me go."

"Leaving now would be suicide. You'd be dead long before you found them." Bakura's eyes suddenly widened in realization of what his light had been about to do.

"It doesn't matter." Ryou said. "For a month, I've thought that you hated me, but... knowing you do is much different."

"You are NOT going outside now." Bakura reiterated, tightening his grip.

"Why do you care?" the teen demanded, spinning to face his yami.

"Why don't you?!" Bakura shot back.

"What am I supposed to care about? I had hoped..." Ryou's voice lost its anger, all his steam gone. "...I had hoped you cared about me. I thought you did. That night, I thought you'd stay."

Bakura's grip slackened as the information hit him.

Ryou wasn't saying what Bakura thought he was, was he?

"But you didn't." Ryou's voice cracked. "You left me. I was all alone again. Then I finally find you, hoping it was a misunderstanding, and you tell me you never wanted to see me again. I wake up to find you saving my life, with your arms wrapped around me. You then push me away and tell me what happened doesn't matter, and when I try to leave..." Ryou took a deep, shuddering breath. "... When I try to leave, you stop me and ask me to stay. Which is it? What do you want me to do?"

The dark's grip tightened again, though it now seemed unnecessary- Ryou wasn't making any move to leave.

"Stay." Bakura told him roughly, pulling Ryou into his chest. Ryou returned the embrace.

"Okay." he said softly.

Time Skip

Bakura wrapped himself back up in his cloak and sat down against the cave wall. Ryou sat next to him, the blanket wrapped around his thin frame.

Each was too preoccupied with their own thoughts to attempt to begin a much-needed talk. Silence fell over the cave.

'At least I know he cares for me.' Ryou thought, glancing over at the darker-skinned of the two. 'But how much? As much as I care for him?'

'Should I tell him?' the tomb robber thought, glancing over at his hikari. Their eyes met.

Bakura was the one who broke the silence.

"Why did you come looking for me?" He had a hunch, but just in case he was wrong... if he had misheard what Ryou had said...

"I want the truth." his light said softly, looking at the dying embers of what had once been a fire. Bakura felt slightly disappointed by this answer, but he knew there was more behind it.

"The truth isn't that shocking." Bakura admitted. "I wanted you and didn't want anyone else having you. I couldn't stand it." Bakura took a deep breath, carefully avoiding the chocolate eyes staring at him in surprise. "You being you, anyone you wanted would have come begging. I was not going to stand by and watch it happen. I'm not a good, noble person, Ryou. I don't want you to be happy unless that happiness includes me. I couldn't see it happen- so I left, but I couldn't leave without having you at least once."

"Bakura..." Ryou said dumbly, but he was ignored by his yami.

"I covered your eyes so I wouldn't see your hate when you realized what I was doing. I covered your mouth and blocked our link so you couldn't tell me to stop. I tied your arms and legs so you couldn't push me away. I waited until you were asleep so you couldn't stop me from immobilizing you. Finally, I played with your body until you barely knew your own name and then asked for 'permission'." Bakura laughed, the sound low and hollow. "You were /mine/."

Ryou looked at his dark in shock as the tanner of the two hung his head.

"Are you happy now- now that you know the Ra-damned truth?" he asked coldly. He scooted away from his light, still not looking at him.

"Bakura..." Ryou said, still sounding shocked. After a moment, the shocked look faded and he scooted closer to his dark.

"Now what? Didn't you get what you came for?" Bakura asked nastily.

"Look at me- please?" The tomb robber couldn't resist the pleading tone in his hikari's voice. He looked, meeting Ryou's soft chocolate eyes. Very, very slowly- giving the other more than enough time to pull away- Ryou leaned forward, closing his eyes as he pressed a soft kiss to his yami's lips. 


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Enjoy people- and please be sure to read the author's note at the end!

It took Bakura a moment to respond, and for that moment, Ryou was certain he had done something wrong. Then Bakura's mouth opened as the tomb robber took control of the previously chaste kiss.

Ryou could feel the other's fingers tangling in his hair as the darker tilted his head, giving the yami a better angle to deepen the kiss.

His dark's tongue was insistent against Ryou's lips- he parted them and allowed the tomb robber's tongue to coax his own into play.

They broke apart only when the need to breathe became too much to bear, but they remained close. Both took deep breaths, savoring the lingering feelings their kiss had left.

"What does this mean, Ryou?" Bakura asked, resting his forehead against the teens and hoping he knew the answer.

"It means 'I love you too, Bakura'." the other said softly. "I'm okay with being yours, but please- stay with me?"

"Mine, my Ryou... my angel, only mine..." Bakura said, capturing his light's lips again. Ryou yielded to Bakura's hungry kisses, returning them with as much passion as he could muster.

They fell to the stone floor of the cave, the yami on top of his hikari. Bakura's hips pressed down on the teens, his hikari's legs caught in between his own. The taller ran his hands along Ryou's sides, itching to feel the soft skin he knew was hidden behind the cloth.

Ryou allowed the tomb robber's hands their freedom, bringing his own up to pull Bakura closer. Both moaned as they felt their bodies awaken to the lust running heavy in their veins.

"I want you again, Ryou." Bakura warned him. "I'm going to take you right here and make you mine again"  
"Please." Ryou said, pressing another kiss to the taller's hungry mouth. Bakura devoured what his hikari offered greedily, knowing he'd never get tired of that taste that belonged only to his light.

-Edited due to lemon content. The full version of this chapter can be read at Media miner . org (remove spaces) under same story title-

Bakura and Ryou both collapsed bonelessly.

"I love you." Bakura said again. "Mine."

"I love you too, Bakura. So much..." Ryou cuddled up closer to his lover, rewarded when his dark wrapped embraced him tightly.

"We'll go back to Japan tomorrow morning." Bakura said. "Together."

The teen nodded, his eyes closing. His yami was tired too- he grabbed their blanket and pulled it over their bodies.

He shut his eyes and they drifted into dreamland.

Next Morning

Two figures crept up upon the shallow cave, taking one look at the blanket over the entrance and nodding to each other.

The taller one smirked triumphantly.

"I TOLD you Bakura would find them a cave to hide in." Mariku said, laughing. "I win!"

"I never should have made that bet." Malik said sourly. "And how was I supposed to know there weren't any old, undiscovered tombs in this area? Egypt's full of them..."

"This means I get top when we get home!" Mariku crowed, ignoring his hikari's muttering.

"Whatever- that's when we get home. Let's hurry up and get them up." Malik and Mariku quickly untied the knots and moved the rocks so they could get in.

The sun was shining directly into the cave, giving them a perfect view of the inside.

They blinked, looked at each other, and then burst out laughing. Malik held onto the side of the cave entrance for support and Mariku just let himself fall, rolling on the ground.

The horse they had lent Bakura looked at them disinterestedly, flicking her ears in irritation.

There, curled up in the middle of the cave floor, was Bakura and Ryou. Both were naked, judging from the amount of clothes strewn about the cave.

Here's the kicker- Bakura was holding Ryou in a tender embrace. Ordinary people would either blush or go 'awww', but for the Ishtars it was funny.

"And there he was, saying he didn't feel any of the softer emotions..." Mariku said.

"'I told him I never wanted to see him again.' he says." Malik imitated in a high-pitched, girlish voice. "'Stay out of my affairs, Malik.' Apparently, he decided he wanted to see quite a bit more of Ryou!"

"I guess that's one way to get laid..." Mariku mused, faking thoughtfulness. "Trapped in a cave all night, only the other for warmth..." His eyes took on a wicked gleam. "Oh hikari..."

"Maybe- did you bring a camera?" Malik asked, eyeing the sleeping couple. "If I get a picture of Bakura being sweet to anyone... wonder what he'd pay to keep those photos out of the Pharaoh's hands..."

A stick was suddenly thrown at his head. Malik ducked, spinning around to see Bakura, sitting up and very much awake.

"What are you lunatics doing here?" he demanded, shifting as if to block Ryou from their sight.

"We just wanted to make sure that 'poor Ryou-kun' didn't get hurt by 'that jerk Bakura'." Malik said, mock-seriously. "Mariku, do think 'poor Ryou-kun' has been hurt?"

"Hmm... Let me think." Mariku pretended to ponder for a moment, then nodded. "He is probably suffering from SAS- Sore Ass Syndrome. He might not be able to walk at all today!" A look of mock-concern came over his face.

"Unless Bakura's the one suffering from a sore ass..." Malik said. They both started laughing again.

"You idiots! You'll wake him up." Bakura growled. He glanced over his shoulder at his lover.

'Too late.' He turned his head back and glared at the two Egyptians.

"Hmmm... Kura?" Ryou sat up, the blanket falling down his chest and pooling in his lap. He kissed Bakura sleepily. "Good morning, love..."

Then he noticed the two Egyptians.

"Oh my." He quickly grabbed the blanket and pulled it back up to hide his chest, blushing. He tried to be as unnoticeable as possible as he inched his way behind Bakura.

"We're happy for you, Ryou-kun." Malik said. Mariku nodded his head enthusiastically, but then they both started laughing again.

"You two- leave, now!" Bakura commanded.

Mariku looked at Bakura for a moment, then looked at Malik.

"You know, it's a whole lot harder to be intimidated by him when he's shouting up at you from the ground and covered in nothing but a blanket."

"I think you may be right." Malik said.

Bakura growled and stood, caring little for modern-day modesty. Malik and Mariku squeaked in surprise as he began stalking towards them, a murderous aura in the air.

"Leave. Now."

"Fine then." Malik said. He waved to Ryou. "We'll tell them you two will be along shortly." With that, the two Egyptians turned and walked back to their horses, quickly mounting them and riding off.

Bakura turned back to his lover, smiling at the way Ryou blushed. It wasn't difficult to notice where Ryou's eyes were focused- below his navel and above his knees.

'So innocent...' Bakura walked back over to Ryou, helping his lover up and pressing their lips together.

"Morning, angel." he said. "Let's hurry up and get dressed- I don't even want to know what those two will tell the Pharaoh and his gang when they get back."

"Okay." Ryou quickly located his boxers and kalasiris, just pulling them on since they had no wash water.

By the time he was done, Bakura had cleaned up the cave and gotten dressed himself.

He stacked the two blankets they had on the back of their horse and motioned Ryou over.

"You'll probably be a bit sore today, so we'll be riding slow." He tapped the Millennium Ring around his neck. "This should take us right back to the Estate. Ready?"

"Ready." Bakura lifted Ryou up onto the blankets so he wouldn't be too uncomfortable and then slung himself up on the horse behind Ryou.

He clicked his tongue once, and they were off.

A/N: IMPORTANT NOTE!  
I know this chapter was short- this is the cut one, and I can't have the full version being too long!  
I've had a few people tell me that they can't find the full version. Here's the place to view it (just remove the spaces)  
h t t p / w w w . m e d i a m i n e r . o r g / f a n f i c / v i e w s t . p h p / 1 3 1 2 5 8 /  
And if that doesn't work, please feel free to e-mail me or Private Message me and ask for the full versions of the cut chapters.  
If everyone would like (and I'll need evidence supporting this) then I could post the full versions of Chapter 1 and 5 at the end of the fic. (Which will be wil the next post, seeing as next chapter ends it for this fic!) Please just tell me, and I will post both full, uncut chapters at the end. 


	6. Epilouge

And... here is the epilouge.  
Enjoy!

Epilouge

It wasn't a very long trip back- but then again, they weren't really paying attention to something as meaningless as the passage of time. They didn't talk a whole lot, content just to hold and be held.

Ryou was mauled by his friends as soon as he slid off the horse- Yugi ran right up and jumped onto Ryou, hugging him and exclaiming how happy he was that Ryou was back. The Pharaoh was next, congratulating Ryou on his safe return and shaking his hand- he wasn't as in to the whole PDA thing. Kaiba just nodded at Ryou. Isis hugged him as well, then scolded him for scaring everyone like that.

Bakura watched the proceedings, itching to grab Ryou from them and kiss him thoroughly so they would all know who they had to talk to for permission to touch Ryou.

Malik and Mariku were watching Bakura, seeing his jealousy rise and rise. Their mouths split into identical evil grins. They approached Ryou.

"Yeah, we're so happy you made it out of that safely." Malik said, standing on Ryou's right.

"Everyone was worried." Mariku added, on Ryou's left.

"Thanks, guys..." Ryou said, stepping back slightly. He felt like some sort of animal cornered by two rabid dogs.

Mariku and Malik glanced up at Bakura (who was still sitting on his horse) and smirked when they caught his eye.

Bakura's eyes narrowed and he opened his mouth to tell them to get away from Ryou, but then they swooped in and kissed Ryou's cheeks. Ryou blinked, startled, as Bakura let out a howl of rage.

The two blonde Egyptians laughed and moved away from Ryou quickly, but not quick enough to escape the silver and brown blur shooting after them.

Bakura knocked them both upside the head.

Yami, Yugi, Kaiba, and Isis watched, uncomprehending, as the scene unfolded before them.

"Does someone want to tell me what just happened?" Kaiba asked.

Bakura stopped hitting Malik and Mariku and turned back to Ryou, walking right up to him and kissing each cheek, as if to reclaim them from Mariku and Malik. Then, he kissed Ryou full on the lips in front of everyone, as if to say 'he's mine, no touching'. It was a chaste kiss, but it got the point across. While everyone was distracted by the two silver-haired teens, Malik and Mariku slipped back into their estate, running up to their room so Mariku could cash in on their 'bet'.

"Did I miss something?" Yugi asked, watching the liplock before him. The kiss ended. Ryou looked at his friends, a blush coloring his face. Bakura moved around behind Ryou, resting his chin on Ryou's shoulder and holding him possessively. He calmly met the shocked faces of Isis, Yami, Yugi, and Kaiba.

"Well, you see... it's like this..." Ryou stumbled over his words, not exactly sure how to explain what had happened.

'Well, Bakura tied me up and slept with me before he left a month ago, basically refused to talk to me once I got here, rescued me from almost certain death, and then we made love again after a little heart-to-heart in the cave he took me to. I figure we're boyfriends now?'

Yeah, that'd go over real well.

"He's mine." Bakura said simply. He smirked evilly. "Or at least, my name was the one he was moaning last night-"

"Bakura!" Ryou said, face tomato-red.

"That... was a bit more than I needed to know." Yugi said, face almost as red as Ryou's.

"Agreed." Yami said.

"In any case, when will you be ready to leave? Some of us have busy schedules and a company to run." Kaiba said.

"I'll go grab my deck and then I'll be ready." Bakura said. He released Ryou and turned to go into the house when Isis stopped him.

"My brother told me you would want your deck once you got back. He brought it down for you." Isis held out the cards to Bakura, who took them gratefully.

"Thank you Isis. Tell that asshole of a brother of yours 'thanks' for me too." Isis nodded.  
Bakura turned and faced the rest of the group.

"Well? Now what are we waiting for? Let's get going!" Bakura said. Kaiba snorted.

"Oh we'll get going all right, but only because I have to get back to run my company. Not because you want to." Kaiba began heading to his limo, followed shortly by Yugi, Yami, and Ryou. Bakura quickly stepped up next to Ryou, grabbing his lover's hand.

Ryou smiled at Bakura, squeezing his love's hand.

They piled into the car behind Yugi and Yami. Not content to be even a seat away from his lover, Bakura pulled Ryou into his lap.

Mine. he said over their link.

Yours. Ryou agreed.

He cuddled up to his dark. After a whole month of not knowing if he would ever see Bakura again, it seemed too good to be true.

He shut his eyes and leaned against his yami.

It would be a long flight home, but at least this time he would be able to sleep peacefully, curled up next to the one who held his heart.

The End! (Finally...)

I hope we all enjoyed! Thank you again, all my readers, you've been lovely! 


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